Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Woman infected with Zika gives birth to Florida's first baby born with microcephaly

A woman infected with the Zika virus gave birth to the first baby born in Florida with microcephaly, a birth defect linked to the virus that typically results with children being born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development.

The Florida Department of Health released a statement Tuesday saying the child's mother came to the U.S. to give birth to the child and contracted the virus while in Haiti.

So far, Florida has had more than 200 Zika cases since the beginning of the year, which is more than any other state.

Last week, Gov. Rick Scott announced he would use his executive authority to allocate $26.2 million in state money toward fighting the mosquito-born virus.

"We are in the middle of hot, rainy weather which is when mosquitoes are most prevalent. It is clear that allocating this funding is necessary if we are going to stay ahead of the spread of this virus," said Scott in a statement. "I am profoundly disappointed that Washington does not share in our commitment and has continued to play politics with the health and safety of our families. Time and time again, we have stepped up and funded issues when the federal government failed to show up. I will not let Washington’s inaction jeopardize the health, safety and wellbeing of Floridians."